Tag: writing101

Following from last week’s post, being your creative self means to show your originality. It also is a way to look within and to bring your shadows into the light.

Have the courage to look within

The chances are that you are also highly emotional as a highly creative individual. A study of 27 art collectors found that they were almost three times more intuitive and emotionally based, compared to the general population.

Most of us may think we are weird to be around and expect social rejection and push people away due to insecurities and sabotage opportunities. We say to ourselves, better not to try, rather than suffer from disappointment.

Now, I have some exciting news for you: if you feel that way, this is a perfect first step to being creative. Have the courage to use your inner life as a canvas for your creations and use your feelings when creating. Even if the feelings might be painful, sit with them compassionately. There is a huge likelihood that there are other people out there who feel exactly the same way and love to see your work. You heal others who feel the way you do.

Art is helping us to look at our shadows so they can be understood and healed. Make your art authentically real and coming from your heart and soul.

Unfortunately, our ego does not want us to face our fearful part of our minds, our shadow side. However, once we are consciously aware of the fears, the ego loses its ability to control us. The ego tries to convince us that it is dangerous to look within and take an honest inventory of our feelings. Our ego tries to tell us that if we think we are a bad person, we are the bad person. In spiritual truth, we are as great as our creator because we are made in the image and likeness of our creator.

It is not easy to look within because there is this deep-seated fear that we don’t like what we may find. There is maybe a fear of finding nothing. This is especially the case if you had to adapt to your life because of an abusive upbringing, which means that you learned to conform, cope and get along. That also means that you forget who you really are and you lose touch with your true self and honest opinions.

However, once you shine the light within yourself, you find there’s a light shining back at you. You will realise how far you have come and that you learned great lessons and stayed strong through painful experiences and hardships.

Once you shine the light wihin yourself, you find there is a light within shining back at you.

Looking within means that you do whatever it takes for your inspiration. Let your true self and emotions shine through your art. See the divine spark of light in you. Everyone has this light, you just need to be willing to look within to find it. Have compassion for yourself and express this with your creativity.

Don’t cover up dark, painful feelings. The best way to deal with it is to face it and say to it: “Look, you don’t scare me any longer. In fact, you are not even real. You are just a dark cloud trying to cast a shadow over my bright inner light.”

Art connects who you are on the inside to who others are on the inside. Remember what you have felt then, many other people have felt, and what you feel now, many other people feel. When you speak the truth about your feelings through your creations, others recognise this truth within their own selves. It speaks directly to their hearts. Your creativity creates a heart to heart connection with truth and authenticity.

Have the courage to bring your shadows into the light

Facing your feelings even though we are not always proud of them, means to have courage. Everyone has an ego which is competitive and insecure. It’s not whether we go into your egotistical inner child that matters; it’s what we do with it. Use your ego based energy in your creative projects, which helps others to recognise themselves and receive healing through your art.

Studies show that when we reveal our human flaws, other people perceive us as more likeable. It is about getting to know yourself at the deepest level and being vulnerable. This is how you form a loving, trusting bond with yourself. Trust and have confidence in yourself. Have the courage to be yourself.

If this resonates with you, join my facebook group “Helping creatives shine” to being able to participate in upcoming challenges.

Welcome to my weekly law of attraction reading. I am using the deck from Esther and Jerry Hicks :

For the week of the 18 September 2017 I pulled the following card:

I cannot create in the experience of another

You cannot create in the experience of another because you cannot think their thoughts…What you can do for them is set the example of joy. Become a Being who thinks only of that which you are wanting, who speaks only of that which you are wanting, and who does only that which you are wanting – and therefore brings forth only joyful emotion.

What a great reminder to only listen to your own intuition, to your own soul. You have inner wisdom. Others have different values and wishes so they won’t be able to answer your question. Trust yourself. You have everything you need inside you.

Being your creative self is not as easy. What does it actually mean? How do I do that?

Some people feel like there is something wrong with them, maybe you felt this way? I certainly have. Sometimes we feel stuck and insecure, comparing ourselves with others who have everything. You might have been teased for being strange in your childhood. Perhaps you felt you do not fit in?

My journey of realisation

I realised over the years that I don’t fit in a regular 9- 5 pm corporate job and was always wondering what was wrong with me. How come others love it and are progressing better and faster than I ever did. I didn’t even want a promotion. How weird is that?

It took me a few years to discover that I am different and nothing was wrong with me. In my past, I always chose a job where I got bored easily even though I was busy and overloaded with work. Years later I had to learn the hard way. I suffered from adrenal exhaustion, was always tired and had simply no energy to do anything I loved doing. If you want to read more about my story, check it out here.

Luckily, I turned my life around and started to express my creative side in me. I started taking photos and still love doing it. However, at the beginning of my journey, I took photos but thought I was not good enough. What was the point to publish my photos, was one of my big questions to myself. All those limiting beliefs held me back from expressing myself because I felt I was not perfect yet and need to improve my skills first. I was always worried what others people think of my photography. It was simply a huge lack of confidence.

Gladly I ended up with very supportive people around me, who encouraged me to keep going and that I was very talented. Getting feedback from your friends and family is not enough though. Of course, they are nice to you, but if we don’t risk to publish our art, we will never know if people like it or not. Bear in mind, there will always be someone who is negative, but most of the people will give you generous and constructive feedback. The point is to do it anyway, no matter what others think. If you express your true creative self, the right people will resonate with your art.

So, what does being your Creative Self mean?

It means to have the courage to:

show your originality

look within and

bring your shadows into the light

Having the courage to show your originality

Be the authentic version of yourself. Originality means nonconformity. Being original is essential for creativity. Put your creative ideas into motion and create the book, painting, jewellery, dance choreography or whatever you want to create. Stop dreaming about your idea but take actions. Small baby steps are the way to go; you set the intention to follow your dream. Now you just need to keep going.

A study found that neuroticism (chronic excessive worries and anxieties) is linked to the emotional sensitivity required for a successful creative career. Your sensitivity is your gift that leads to inspiration and the desire to inspire others through creativity.

Perhaps, people teased you about being too sensitive in your past. Now you know why it is so important to be that way. People who judge you on that are just trying to convince you to conform or were not as sensitive or creative as you, or these were individuals who were jealous because they suppressed their creativity and sensitivity.

Remember, other people’s opinion is just that, an opinion. They give you their opinion based on their past experiences, values and their beliefs. Your real identity has nothing to do with their words. You will know, that you have taken the right path of nonconformity.

Being creative is not a hobby for us, it is a way of life. It means expressing your vision in all that you do. Live your life as a creative.

Creativity is defined as making something that is new; the opposite is conformity, so creativity has the courage to not conform but to embrace your imagination. Imagination is the pipeline to possibilities. Be open to receive new opportunities, notice your ideas without worrying about if it is feasible. Don’t just think outside the box but think like there is no box.

Next week’s forecast of how to be your creative self

I am going to reveal more about the courage to look within and to bring your shadow into the light next time. Stay tuned.

If this resonates with you, join my facebook group “Helping creatives shine” to being able to participate in upcoming challenges.

Welcome to my weekly inspirational quotes, which help us to stay on track and remember there is something bigger than us.

This week’s inspirational quote is:

The universe reveals its secret to those who dare to follow their hearts.

Remember to follow and trust your heart. Our mind is not always right and mostly trapped by our ego. Sometimes we listen to other people but don’t trust ourselves. Bear in mind, that other people tell us what they think is right based on their values and experiences. That’s fine but it does not mean it is the right solution for you.

So, next time you need to make a decision, try to listen to your body and whatever feels right for you. Some people need to feel it in their heart or in their gut. Trust yourself, follow your heart and you will see that the universe is responding to you.

Do you like my photos with inspirational quotes? Did you know that you can buy posters, high quality prints, fridge magnets, coffee mugs, jigsaw puzzles and many other things from it? Check out my photography website here, click the buy button and chose the product you like.

It is not a set of circumstances or the people you are with who make you happy. Happiness comes from your inside and your attitude.

Are you able to adopt to changing circumstances because your change your attitude?

If you ever face situations you don’t like, think about what it is you don’t like in particular. Is it very important to you or is it just a first world problem? What happens when you would change your attitude? Would you feel better?

Don’t forget: it is all in your mind; change your attitude and you will feel happiness.

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” – Hugh Downs-

We meet a variety of people. Some of them have a happy aura and bring pure happiness. It is easy to hang out with them; they make you feel good and happy.

Unfortunately not everybody you have to deal with is such a positive person; you might have a negative co-worker, boss or even friend. If you can, try not to stick around and surround yourself with positive people. Negativity is toxic and can make you depressive. It might be a hard decision to make but you feel so much more relieved once you dealt with the situation. If it is a person at your work place, try to sort it out and if nothing works you might want to start looking for another job.

However, we cannot always pick the cherries and we sometimes have to deal with certain people. It is up to you for how long you are willing to put up with that certain situation; but always remember, people enter our life for a reason. Don’t blame anybody for anything happening to you in your life. You might need to gain some experience to strengthen you for the future or we have to learn a lesson because we did not realise what is going on. On the positive side some people bring happiness into your life and very special ones give you great memories.

“Never blame anyone in your life. Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. The worst people give you a lesson; and the best people give you memories.” – spirit science

Have you had a bad day? Do you know what? Don’t worry, tomorrow is another day with fresh new opportunities. Forget what was happening yesterday, you cannot change it. Each day has new surprises for us. Just be open, smile when you get up in the morning and say out loud: ‘Today will be a great day with lots of fun and new opportunities.”

Life can be a mystery. For some reason we end up in a certain place at a certain time and meet certain people. Some of them will stay in our life forever, some stay for a season and some people enter our life for a reason. I believe that this is meant to be. It is up to you to find out who belongs into which category.

Sometimes life is changing and not everything is working out the way we were hoping for. But do you know what? I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. It might be hard to acknowledge and understand. You probably don’t see the reason in that very moment but time will reveal to you why it happened. Maybe we are meant to learn some lessons in life, gain some important experiences or we need to realise how much we should appreciate our lives.

Maybe the universe is telling you something and you need to change your directions in life to achieve your goals. If something you were working towards is not going ahead, believe in something better is out there for you.

Thinking that way helps you to stay positive even in hard or challenging times. It makes you want to move forward. Expect new opportunities knocking on your door. Don’t let them go and embrace each moment in your life. Life can be short.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe

Everyone has dreams but not everybody is actually doing something about it and keeps finding excuses and postpone things. Have you ever said that this is not the right time to do or once you saved more money you will do it; you will travel once you are retired or you are not perfect enough to do so? I am pretty sure this sounds familiar to you. You know these are just excuses. The time will never be perfect to action on your dreams. What can you do to make your dreams come true?

First of all we need to set our goals. Without a clear goal nothing will happen. Write down your goals and make a list of things you want to achieve or dream of having. Maybe it is

one place to visit

NYC skyline at sunset

one thing to do daily and weekly

getting out and watching the waves

one thing you always wanted to learn.

surfing in Australia

Don’t let your negative thoughts shine through who are telling you ‘that this is just stupid and I never will be able to achieve this’ – stop and keep writing. It feels good creating that kind of list.

Now that was the first step but just writing down your goals doesn’t mean that you will make it happening. Let’s start working on the following step:

Make an action plan and set a timeline (short term and long term); I would suggest not having too long terms as many things can happen in the meantime and you might keep postponing your goals otherwise.

Once you know what your actions are, start doing it. Do not wait and hesitate; do not hold back but do it anyways. Don’t worry about what others think. Get out of your comfort zone. The feeling will be amazing once you have actioned on your goals. Excitement kicks in.

Lots of us are doubting ourselves and believe we cannot do it. When this kind of thought comes up, ask yourself why you apparently cannot do it. What would happen if you keep postponing your actions to achieve your goals? What would happen if you give it a go? What would you lose or win? What would be the worst outcome and impact? Are you holding back because of fear?

Usually what we fear doing is actually what we need to do. Success in our life can be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations we are willing to have. Start with one thing you fear and just do it. What does it cost you financially or emotionally to postpose pursuing your dreams? Is it worth it? What are you waiting for? Stop saying ‘I don’t have time’ or the timing is not perfect. The situation or we will never be perfect. Stop making excuses. It is fine and totally normal to be afraid of failing, being rejected or whatever it is. Just remember, everybody is just as afraid like you are.

We live in a busy world, rushing all the time to get as much done as possible. In the end we are exhausted and don’t even have time to reflect and think about our future. We find ourselves carried along by it all, burdened by expectations and our daily obligations. Let’s take a break and spend some time alone to get back in touch with the part of yourself that has big plans.

There are different ways of how to find your life’s purpose. Whatever is working for you, give it a go. You might want to meditate or you just go for a walk or run to clear your mind, maybe you want to travel on your own for a few days or longer.

Find some time and ask yourself what your purpose in life is. Whatever the answer might be, could be a pleasant surprise to you.

Spend some time alone to reconnect with your life’s purpose and follow the path